The Tuyang
Initiative
Everyday Craft, Sound, and Care from Sarawak.
The Tuyang Initiative is a community-led cultural agency based in Miri, Sarawak. They work with Dayak cultural custodians to share living traditions through respectful projects, performances, and learning experiences.
“Tuyang” means “friend” in the Kenyah language, and the work follows that spirit of partnership.
At Serumpun Mulu, Tuyang hosts a small table where grain, wood, and fruit meet the senses, and a performance that reminds us how voices become stronger together.
About Tuyang
Founded in 2017 by a Kenyah father–daughter duo, The Tuyang Initiative supports Indigenous stories and skills so they can thrive on their own terms.
The team designs projects that foreground cultural practitioners as the experts, and opens pathways for fair, public-facing work.
Community producer Juvita Tatan Wan helps shape programmes and collaborations, and Adrian Jo Milang serves as Community Manager while practicing Parap and Takna’, an oral art of the Kayan people.
Their approach is simple
- listen first,
- co-create, and
- let the makers lead
For Mulu, they bring a few quiet touchpoints that say a lot. Objects to see and hold, sounds you can feel, and a song that gathers people at the end of a long day.
What You Will See at Mulu
A compact, hosted table with clear labels and gentle supervision:
- Kopi beras (rice coffee) presented warm for aroma and story
- Jatung utang (a small wooden xylophone), you may tap softly
- Highland rice crackers paired with terung asam or pineapple sauce,
The focus is simple:
How everyday craft carries place. Read the short notes, speak with the hosts about who makes what, and notice how grain, wood, and fruit hold memory in the hand.
If tasting is offered during your visit, the team will guide you.
ILUN KUAI
There are days when work feels endless and lonelier than it should. “Ilun Kuai” begins there, a call for help from someone who has carried enough. Then other voices step in. What was solitary becomes shared.
The song is often sung after Senguyun (gotong-royong) or other communal work, a moment to rest and belong.
How To
Experience It?
Come close, read the notes, and talk to the hosts.
Tap a few soft notes on the jatung utang, smell the rice coffee, and ask how each item lives at home. If small tastes are being offered, the team will guide you.
The point is to feel how simple things carry people to one another.
Micro-FAQ
What does “Tuyang” mean?
“Friend” in the Kenyah language.
Who is Adrian Jo Milang?
A Parap and Takna’ practitioner and Community Manager with The Tuyang Initiative.
Is Tuyang a social enterprise or agency?
Tuyang is an accredited, community-led cultural agency and social enterprise based in Miri, Sarawak.
Can I play the instrument?
Yes, tap softly and share the mallets.
